Golf Club Competition Booking Systems and Ideas

[AR Golf]

IDEAS NEEDED!
Our club currently uses the BRS online club booking system for members to book their tee times.
On a Saturday it has been so popular in the early tee times that within 60 seconds all slots are booked.
This means unless you are very tech savy and fastest finger first you will not get the tee time you want.
Has anyone got any ideas or solutions from their own clubs?
We have moved away from the old “book in the club” option as many members work all week and need the flexibility that booking online gives.
Thank you in advance.

note: does anyone use a ballot or raffle system?

 

[SteveW86]

The club I am at now used to run the Sunday comp as a shotgun start with names out of a hat type scenario I think.

 

[SammmeBee]

IDEAS NEEDED!
Our club currently uses the BRS online club booking system for members to book their tee times.
On a Saturday it has been so popular in the early tee times that within 60 seconds all slots are booked.
This means unless you are very tech savy and fastest finger first you will not get the tee time you want.
Has anyone got any ideas or solutions from their own clubs?
We have moved away from the old “book in the club” option as many members work all week and need the flexibility that booking online gives.
Thank you in advance.

note: does anyone use a ballot or raffle system?

Play later in the day?

 

[KenL]

In normal times, my club releases three quarters of the times 7 days in advance but retains the remainder until 2 days before.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

Under normal conditions, we have no tee bookings so it’s turn up and join the queue (if there is one).
I can’t wait to return to that way.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

This would require additional work but how about limits on how often you can get a particular hour, or 2, slot per month? Names would have to be forwarded and a ballot happen. The following week those who missed the prime slot get their go. If you can automate it then great, if not then you will have to go old school.

I think it is great that you are looking at this. Good luck.

 

[patricks148]

We have a restriction on only two times per week prebooked and if you can play during the week asked not to play then so people working can get times on Sat and Sun.

we then have the option that any times that are cancelled can be booked on the day and don't count as your two. Working pretty well at the moment. all the usual suspects who book multi times are being kept an eye on and if they book more than they are allowed the club cancelles and they get sanctioned and if you do it X amount of times booking priv removed

 

[KenL]

We have a restriction on only two times per week prebooked and if you can play during the week asked not to play then so people working can get times on Sat and Sun.

we then have the option that any times that are cancelled can be booked on the day and don't count as your two. Working pretty well at the moment. all the usual suspects who book multi times are being kept an eye on and if they book more than they are allowed the club cancelles and they get sanctioned and if you do it X amount of times booking priv removed

We had something similar after the first lockdown ended.

 

[patricks148]

We had something similar after the first lockdown ended.

so did we we went back to it once we went in again in Dec, limited daylight meant times were gone in sec for the week , the first two weeks i could even get a time myself lucky i was offered a game with a few mates who had managed times

 

[CliveW]

Because of the current two ball restrictions, there will be a higher demand for tee times. Once that restriction is lifted, hopefully things will be better.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

IDEAS NEEDED!
Our club currently uses the BRS online club booking system for members to book their tee times.
On a Saturday it has been so popular in the early tee times that within 60 seconds all slots are booked.
This means unless you are very tech savy and fastest finger first you will not get the tee time you want.
Has anyone got any ideas or solutions from their own clubs?
We have moved away from the old “book in the club” option as many members work all week and need the flexibility that booking online gives.
Thank you in advance.

note: does anyone use a ballot or raffle system?

If your club has 500 members and 25% of them want to play on a Saturday morning then simple maths says a lot of them are going to be disappointed. The only alternative is to join a VERY expensive ultra exclusive club with very few members. Otherwise it's suck it up I'm afraid.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

We use BRS, but also have members who are not on the internet or shift workers etc, so, we (pre-covid) open up the sheet at 6:30pm in the Clubhouse on a thursday night for the weekend 9 days later, members can only book 1 x 4 ball of which they must be one.
BRS goes live at 9am on the friday morning.

You will never get a system that suits and keeps all members happy, but we have very little issues, and, as previously stated people can also play later in the day.

 

[jim8flog]

We use a booking system with which is internet based.

Those are not tech savvie or do not have the internet anyway have friends that do the booking for them. One person is allowed to book all slots in a fourball and there are often single slots available after the immediate rush.

One of the funny sides is that when we were considering going to an all booked system (we had partially before) the committee member who pushed for it the most found his internet was too slow to get a booking.

We are fortunate in that those that cannot get a slot on the 18 hole course will normally get one on the 9 hole course.

 

[Bdill93]

Be faster at booking.. Premium tees come at a premium!

 

[3offTheTee]

It is similar at most clubs and nothing is ideal.

It may stop you playing with your mates but say A-M surnames have priority for say 1 hour week 1 and N-Z week 2. After 1 hour anybody can book

 

[Crazyface]

As has been said. If it's fastest finger first, get practising and upgrade your wifi. Golf clubs won't change the system as it suits the ones who are getting the tee times. You've just got to be better than them.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Doesn’t matter what system you will use there will always be some who don’t like it

We only previously used to have online booking for comps and just rock up on non comps days

Since Covid along with everyone else we went to tee bookings everyday and it’s worked well

But the people who don’t like the online booking are complaining because they don’t get the tee time they have had for the last 30 years

 

[USER1999]

An idea, that is equitable in every way, but could be incredibly unpopular, would be this.

Times go live at 7.00 the week before. You can book one time. Yours. No 4 balls, no booking in pals, just you. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, gets the same chance. No coasters, having a lie in, letting their mates book them in. No, everyone gets the same chance. No putting a couple of mates in, who you know can't make it, but you hope to find another two preferred players to swap in mid week.

Give it a month, and people will be begging for the old, unfair system back.

 

[Wildboy370]

As I pointed out to our club captain. The current booking system opening at 9am is weighted heavily in favour of, through no fault of theirs, people who are still furloughed or working from home, so plenty of time to have a fastest finger ready. Theses on shifts or as myself a service engineer with very little if any time to be sat waiting phone in hand. So as last time it seemed I could play at 12-30 or later so racing the light, but the same names week in week out went out in the mid morning and got plenty time to get round. Some of these names were also playing two or three times a week. So I suggested the times opened at 5am so you have less of a mad rush and those on shifts etc have a fair chance to book, as shifts fluctuate week in week out so not always up at 5am. Will see how it works till things calm down, we have also opened the comps over Saturday and Sunday which did help.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

We have a restriction on only two times per week prebooked and if you can play during the week asked not to play then so people working can get times on Sat and Sun.

we then have the option that any times that are cancelled can be booked on the day and don't count as your two. Working pretty well at the moment. all the usual suspects who book multi times are being kept an eye on and if they book more than they are allowed the club cancelles and they get sanctioned and if you do it X amount of times booking priv removed

This exactly how we work it - and it seems to work fine.